Atomizer



Nov. 6, 1934. F. CUSTER ET AL ATOMI ZER Filed Feb. 2, 1933 Patented Nov. 6 1934 PATENT O ATOMIZER.

Fred Custer and rain B- Brown,. Toledo, Ohio, assignors to, The De Villiiss Company, Toledo, Ohio, acorporationofhi'o Application February 2,

9 Claims.

This invention relates to atomizers, and particularly to those'of the valve-type, whereby the discharge passages in the head may be closed with respect to the receptacle when the atomizer is not in use.

The object of the invention is theprovisiorr of an improved" atomizer of thisqcharacter having a novel and compact arrangement and assembly of parts; whereby to enhance the practicability and commercialvaluethereof and lessen the liability of leakage when the atomizer is inverted or placedon its side.

The invention isfully described in the following specification, and while in its broader aspect it is capable of embodiment in numerous forms, one embodiment thereof is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing; in which- Figure l is an enlarged central vertical section of an atomizerembodying the invention with portions broken away and with the parts of the head in usable relation, the section being taken on the line 1l in Fig. 3. Figs. 2, 3 and 4" are cross-sections, respectively; r on the lines 2 --2, 3'3 and 4-4 in Fig- 1. Fig; 5 is a; topplan-view of the atomizer head, and Fig. 6 is a side-elevation of an atomizer'embodying the invention with the airpressure creating means shown partly in sectionand, in the present instance, of the plunger-type.

Referringto the drawing, 1 designates aliquid receptacle having at its top'an outwardly extendingneck 2 forming an opening 3 into the receptacle.

A ferrule 4 is mounted on the neck 2; being secured thereto by cementing, as shown at 5., or in any other suitable manner. The top of' the ferrule 4 is provided with athreadecl opening in register with the neck opening of the receptacle, andthe upper inner edge wall of theferrule opening is provided with a taperedseat 6'. Y A plug member 7, forming the body of the atomizerhead structure, i sthreaded at its lower end into said ferrule opening and provided intermediate its ends with an annular. flange 8 having atapered edge portion for seating en'- gagement with the tapered ferrule seat 6 when the plug is screwed home therein. The-portion oftheplug '7 above the flange 8- is reduced in size with respect tosai'd fiangeand is preferably of circularformin cross-section to permit a collar 9' to be closely fitted thereon with 1 its lower en'dise'ating on. the flange 8; and also preferably,

but not necessarily; of a diameter corresponding to'that ofthe ferrule 4;to adapt it-to seatclosely 'on the upper endof' such-ferrule in surrounding 1933, Serial No. sessi e relation to-thefiangeS'. The plug 9has a forced fit on" theplug 7, so that when assembled", the two parts are in rigid relation.

Thecollar 9- is provided in one side with adischarge" nozzle 10 having in its outer end a discharge orifice-1 1,and provided-interiorly with an air discharge jet 12 spaced axial alignment with the orifice 1-1, as well understood in ato1nizers of this character. Thebore of the air jet l2 registers at its inner end with an annular groove 1-3 provided circumferentially around the upper end portion of the plug 7-, and this groove has communicationat the opposite side of the head axis to the discharge nozzle with a passage 1-4 in the-collarl), which passage is extended: to a point without the head by a tube 15-, which may be connectedto' any suitable sourceof air'pre'ssure supply. In the present instance; the tube 1 5 forms a heel piece to which a flexible tube 1 6 may beconnected, and which tubemay carry-a hand-operated pressure creating means 1-7 at its outer end. i In the present instance, this pressure means, while of the piston type; resembles'in appearancethe ordinary" air compression bulb used in connection with hand-operated atomizers. This air pressure means forms no part of the present invention, and is merely illustrated as one means of supplying air pressure-to the atomizer head. I

The interior of the nozzle 10 has communication at one side of the air jet 12 thrcugh a passage 18 in thecollarwith a liquid supply passage 19 provided in the plug 7-. This passage has its upper end angled to-register with the inwardly directed endportion of the passage 18, and has its lower end portion extending downwardly through theplug'l and opening at its lower end without the-under side of 'the plug in spaced relation to its center. An air-vent passage 20 ex tends downwardin the plug '7 from. the groove or annular passage 13 therein, with its lower end opening without the bottom of the plug.

The plug 7- has a central vertically disposed opening 21 therethrough, the upper'end portion of which is enlarged asat 22', and the-upper end of the head body, which is formedby the plug '7 and: collar 9, is cupped toform the recess 23. This recess is enlarged with respect to the recess formed by the enlarged portion 22' of the plug opening 21. A valve member 24- is disposed. atthe bottom side of the plug 7 and has astem 25 projecting upward from its center: through the opening. 24 and recess 22- and attached at its'upper'end by a pin 26; or in any otheri suitable manner; to a head 27 which may be manually engaged and rotatably moved a predetermined extent to impart controlling movements to the valve member 24. The valve member 24 is cupped at its upper side in surrounding relation to the stem 25 to receive a gasket collar 28 preferably of cork, which is intended to seat at its upper side against the bottom or" the plug 7. The valve member 24 is disposed within the neck portion of the receptacle and has a tube 29 projecting downwardly centrally from its bottom into the receptaclel to near its bottom, and this tube at its upper erid is adapted to have communication with the plug passage 19 through a passage 30 provided inthe plug member 24 and its collar 28. The valve member 2 1 also has an air-vent passage 31 provided through it and the gasket 28 at one side of the tube 29 and adapted to open communication between the interior of the receptacle and the vent passage 20 in the plug '7 when the valve member 24 is turned in proper position for its passage 30 to register with the liquid passage 19 in the plug.

The gasket 28 is held closely to its seat against the bottom of the plug 7 by a coiled expansion spring 32, which is mounted in the plug recess 22, and has its lower end thrust against the bottom of said recess, and its upper end thrust against the head 27, which latter has a bottom extension fitting into said recess. The rotary control movements of the valve member are limited by a pin 33 projecting from the head 27 into a socket 34 in the bottom of the recess 23.

It is apparent that in the use of a spray head embodying my invention, the gasket faced seat of the valve member is yieldingly held closely against the bottom of the plug member '7, and that when the valve member is turned in one position, the valve passages 30 and 31 are in operative communication with the respective plug passages 19 and 20, and when turned in another position, such passages in the valve and plug members are out of register, thus closing all communication between the interior of the recepta: cle and the air and liquid discharge passages in the head. It is also apparent that the liquid tube 29, which extends down into the receptacle, is carried by the valve member, and that the annular air passage 13 in the head provides a double communication around the plug member '7 between the air supply passage 14 and the air discharge jet 12, so that should either side of the passage 13 be stopped up by the accumulation of matter therein, communication between the passage 14 and air jet 12 still remains open at the opposite side of the plug.

From the standpoint of manufacture, the spra head is quite simple and inexpensive due to the fact that the parts are all of simple construction and may be easily and quickly assembled, and also to the fact that the provision of the plug member 7 with the separable collar 9 enables the passages in such parts to be easily made before assembly.

We wish it understood that our invention is not limited to any specific construction, form or arrangement of the parts, as it is capable of numerous modifications and changes without departing from the spirit of the claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent, is:

1. In an atomizer, a receptacle, a spray head mounted on said receptacle and having a body structure which is fixed relative to the receptacle and provided with a spray discharge nozzle with liquid and air supply passages leading thereto and with an air vent passage leading from the air passage, said liquid and air vent passages opening to the receptacle through the bottom of the body structure, a rotatable valve member disposed at the bottom side of said body structure and having a gasket seating against the bottom of said structure to close said liquid and air vent passages when the valve is in one position of its movement, said valve having a stem projecting upwardly through the body structure and having a control head at its upper end without the body structure, means acting on said stem to yieldingly hold the valve member to its seat against the body structure, said valve member having a liquid passage in communication at its lower end with the bottom interior portion of the receptacle and having a vent passage in communication with the upper portion of the receptacle, said valve passages having simultaneous communication at their upper ends with the respective liquid and air vent passages in the body structure when the valve is in one position of its rotary movement.

2. In an atomizer, a receptacle having an opening in its top, a spray head mounted on the receptacle over said opening and including a body structure fixedly connected to the receptacle, said body structure having a central vertical opening therethrough, a spray discharge nozzle and liquid and air supply passages leading to said nozzle, and an air vent passage in communication with the air passage, said liquid and air vent passages opening through the bottom of the body structure to the interior of the receptacle, a rotary valve member mounted below the body structure and having a gasket on its top side seating against the bottom face of said body structure and closing said liquid and air vent passages to the receptacle when the valve member is in one position of its movement, said valve member having passages therein adapted to open communication between the bottom portion of the receptacle and said liquid passage and between the upper portion of the receptacle and said vent passage when the valve member is in another position of its movement, said valve member having a stem projecting therefrom through the central opening in the body structure and provided with a control head at its top without the body structure, and means in the body structure acting against the stem to hold the gasket portion of the valve member seated against the body structure.

3. In an atomizer, a receptacle, a spray head mounted thereon and having a spray discharge nozzle with air and liquid supply passages leading thereto and a vent passage in communication with the air supply passage, said liquid supply and vent passages opening through the bottom of the spray head into the receptacle, a valve having a cork gasket face seating against the bottom of the spray head and adapted when in one position to close said liquid and vent passages to the interior of the receptacle and having passages therein, which, when the valve is in another position of its movement, open communication between the liquid passage and the bottom portion of the receptacle and between the vent passage and the upper portion of the receptacle, said valve having a control part extending up through and without the top of the spray head, and said air passage extending entirely aroundthe central portion of the spray head in communication at spaced points therein with a source of air pressure supply and with the spray nozzle.

4. In an atomizer, a liquid receptacle and a spray head mounted thereon, said spray head including a ferrule, a plug member threaded in said ferrule and having a flange seating therein, a collar mounted on the plug without the flange and having a spray discharge nozzle, said plug and collar forming a body structure and having a central vertical opening therethrough, an annular air passage between said plug and collar surrounding the central opening and having an inlet for air pressure supply and a portion in communication with the spray nozzle, said body structure having a liquid supply passage for the noz' zle and an air vent passage, both communicating With the interior of the receptacle at the bottom of said plug member, a rotary valve mounted within the upper portion of the receptacle against the bottom of said plug and having a stem projecting upward through the central opening of the plug and provided with a control head at its upper end without the body structure, means within the body structure acting on the stem to yieldingly retain the valve seated against the bottom of the plug, said valve having a gasket portion forming its seat and having two passages therein, one adapted to open communication between said liquid supply passage and the bottom interior portion of the receptacle, and the other between said vent passage and the upper interior portion of the receptacle when the valve is in one position of its movement, and to close said communications when the valve is in a different position of its movement.

5. In an atomizer, a liquid receptacle and a spray head mounted thereon and including a body member and a collar fixedly mounted thereon, a spray discharge nozzle carried by the collar and including air and liquid discharge passages, said collar and body cooperating to form an annular air discharge passage surrounding the collar axis, and having communication with the air discharge passage of the nozzle at one side of said axis and communication with a source of air supply at the opposite side of said axis, said body having liquid supply and air vent passages in communication with the interior of the receptacle and with the liquid discharge passage of said nozzle and said annular passage, respectively, and valve means operable to control the communication between the receptacle and said liquid supply and vent passages.

6. In an atomizer, a liquid receptacle, a sprayhead mounted thereon and having an axial 0pening therethrough and a downwardly facing lower end surface surrounding said opening, said head having a spray discharge nozzle with an air supply passage and a liquid supply passage leading thereto, the liquid passage opening to the receptacle through said surface, a valve seating against said surface and having a stem rotatably mounted in said opening and provided at its outer end with a control, said valve having a passage therethrough in communication with the lower portion of the receptacle and adapted to be moved into and out of register with the liquid supply passage in said head when the valve is turned.

7. In an atomizer, a receptacle, a spray-head mounted thereon and having an axial opening therethrough and a downwardly facing valve seating surface surrounding said opening at the receptacle end of the head, said head also having a spray discharge nozzle with an air supply passage and a liquid supply passage leading thereto, and a vent passage in communication with the air supply passage, said liquid supply and vent passages opening through said seating surface, a rotatable gasket faced valve seating outward relative to the receptacle against said surface and having a stem projecting through said opening to the outer end of the valve head with a control at such end, means yieldingly acting on the valve stem to retain the valve seated against said surface, said valve having a liquid passage in communication with the bottom of the receptacle and an air passage in communication with the top of the receptacle, said passages respectively having register with the liquid supply and vent passages in the head when the valve is in one position of its turning movement.

8. In an atomizer, a liquid receptacle having a top opening, a ferrule mounted over said opening, a spray-head of plug-form mounted in said ferrule with its lower end forming an annular valve seat and exposed to the interior of the receptacle, said head having a spray discharge nozzle with air and liquid supply passages leading thereto and with an air vent passage, said vent and liquid supply passages opening through said seat, a rotary valve disposed at the inner end of the spray-head and in seating engagement with its valve seat and closing said supply and vent passages when the valve is in one position, said valve having a stem mounted in and projected outward through the spray-head and provided with a control at the outer end thereof, and means acting on the valve stem to retain the valve to its seat, said valve having a liquid passage in communication with the bottom of the receptacle and an air passage in communication with the top of the receptacle which respectively register with the liquid supply and air vent passages in the spray-head when the valve is in a predetermined position of its adjustment.

9. In an atomizer, a liquid receptacle and a spray head mounted thereon and including a body member and a collar mounted thereon, a spray discharge nozzle carried by the collar and including air and liquid discharge passages, said collar and body cooperating to form an annular air discharge passage surrounding the vertical axis of the body, and having communication at spaced points around the axis with the air discharge passage of the nozzle and with a source of air supply, said body having liquid supply and air vent passages in communication between the interior of the receptacle and the liquid discharge passage of said nozzle and said annular passage, and a valve carried by said body member centrally of said annular passage and operable from without the spray head to control said liquid supply passage.

FRED CUS'I'ER. PAUL B. BROWN. 

